Archive for the ‘Line Party’ Category

It really was the best of times. Not just the opening night of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (or whenever you saw the film for the first time). What about when you first found out that Lord of the Rings films were being made? Maybe, like staffer Garfeimao, it prompted you to start searching the internet and you found TORn. Perhaps, like staffer Magpie, you had been longing for something different and/or better than the animated movies (no matter how sentimental and quaint they seem now). Perhaps you were a lifelong fan of J.R.R. Tolkien, and had misgivings like deej and JPB. For me, it was all of the above!

Please enjoy reading the memories and impressions of some of our core staff, and share your own memories of how you learned of the LOTR movie, how you found TheOneRing.net and/or what your first impressions of FOTR were, either in the comments section, or on our Lord of the Rings Movie discussion forum.

Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” turns 15 years old this year and the Newport Beach Film Festival in Southern California is planning a fun little celebration next week. In fact, I’m quite sure TheOneRing.net will be celebrating this fact all year long at various events. Anyhow, if the FOTR Anniversary screening goes well, the Festival will host one for The Two Towers next year, and again in 2018 for The Return of the King.

On Sunday, April 24 there will be a full afternoon of Tolkien fun, starting first with a lunchtime Moot at the Corner Bakery Cafe at 1621 W. Sunflower Ave in Santa Ana. This is in a little shopping center across the street from the theater and very near to the South Coast Plaza. There will be some opportunity for fun and games at 2pm over at the theater where we plan on having our Barrel and backdrop for photo ops, some trivia and most importantly, a costume contest. Below is a little timeline to help you organize your day.

Normally, a retrospective film like this only costs $5 per person and tickets can be purchased at the Film Festival website, but TheOneRing.net has secured a Barrel full of Tickets to share with local fans, especially those in costume.

All you have to do to secure a pair of tickets is email me at garfeimao@TheOneRing.net and tell me what costume you plan to wear. It can be a full on fancy costume with prosthetics, or a costume lite variation, or even a mash-up or gender bender, anything even remotely Tolkien related, including Tolkien himself. After all, not only will there will be a costume contest, but really, who needs an excuse like a free ticket or prize to wear a costume, don’t we all live for this?

One note, for those of you with costumes that have weaponry or large accessories, you can wear that for the contest, and then it must be returned to your car before entering the theater for the film.

Costumed attendees, or those with a companion in costume should RSVP to me by Monday at noon. If we still have tickets left after that, I will open it up to those who do not wish to wear a costume. All updates and announcements will be made on our Facebook Event page.

So come join TheOneRing.net and a load of local Tolkien fans at what should be a lovely day at the theater.

We at TheOneRing.net want you all to join us in saying a proper ‘Fond Farewell’ and heartfelt ‘Thank You’ to all the hard working Cast and Crew of all six of the Middle-earth films. There will be a giant ‘Thank You’ card at our planned “The One Last party: There and Back Again” event on February 21, 2015 in Hollywood. We’ve done this before, back at the Return of the One Party in 2004, so we know how to do big cards.

Now we know that not everyone can join us at ‘The One Last Party” so we have a special Perk on our Indiegogo campaign just for you. In fact, every single Perk level includes your name on the card, but we did create the lowest level Perk just for those who can’t attend, but would like to be included in this special ‘one of a kind’ Thank you greeting. The images here are from 2004, but they give you an idea of what to expect from this year’s Epic card. And for those who do attend the party, you will have the opportunity to personalize your greeting a little bit more at the party. This ‘Thank You’ card will either be given to, or sent down to New Zealand to be delivered to Peter Jackson.

For the past decade and a half, Peter Jackson, his amazing cast and the equally amazing crew have handcrafted these magnificent cinematic representations of Middle-earth for all of us to enjoy. Along the way, we have created a vibrant fan community where we can be found chatting on the message boards, meeting up at theater Line Parties, attending conventions together, making pilgrimages to New Zealand, and attending Oscar parties. We are a very social fandom who celebrates both the creative and academic side of Middle-earth, where you can find people displaying amazing costume designs right next to people who can recite and translate all of Tolkien’s Elvish poetry, and each can call the other ‘friend’. So while we want to thank Peter and the rest of the cast and crew for making films we can all enjoy, we especially want to thank them for the much more important Fan Community that has been thriving in big cities and tiny little towns all around the world since 2001.

Please join us in sending out our thanks by supporting our campaign for The One Last Party: There and Back Again, or sharing it far and wide with all your friends and family. Let’s all enjoy each other’s company #OneLastTime.

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Join us in Los Angeles in February at The One Last Party

We’re hosting a Party of Special Magnificence next February — a toast to all SIX movies, both LOTR trilogy and The Hobbit.

There was a lot that I liked in “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” and there were a few things that left me scratching my head. But first, let’s get the niceties out of the way; this review is chock full of spoilers, so turn back now if you just don’t want to know. Also, this review is based on my opinion, other reviews will be popping up shortly from other staffers, so take that for what it’s worth.

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Beware, there be spoilers ahead!

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Really, if you don’t want to be spoiled, stop reading now!

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These spoilers reveal a lot, last chance to come back later!

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Here is a list of all the cool scenes that really made an impact on me.

I did rather like that instead of a Flashback beginning, like all the previous films, this one jumped right into the action with Smaug attacking Laketown and everyone trying to flee.

On a related note, I love the way Bard faces off against Smaug. He stays so calm and yet watchful and careful as he prepares to defend the city against Smaug’s attack. Once Bain enters the scene, it becomes event better. Everyone who might have been afraid that this sequence would be ruined, or at least lessened by the use of the Wind-lance, fear not, Bard goes real old school in how he launches the fatal shot. The fact that Smaug is taunting him is even more perfect.

Dol Guldur – Perfection in just about every way. From Galadriel’s rather relaxed entrance, to Elrond and Saruman double-teaming the Nine, this is the kind of epic showdown we hoped for from the White Council. And then Galadrield goes nuclear on Sauron and things get really serious. If you ever had any doubt that Galadriel was the most powerful Elf in Middle-earth, this will drop you jaw to the floor. It also shows just how close the bond is between Galadriel and Gandalf, so that in 60 year’s time, when Galadrield learns of Gandalf’s fate in Moria, we will be able to feel her grief just that little bit more.

Bilbo presenting the Arkenstone to Bard and Thranduil in order to broker peace between them and Thorin. Thranduil is universally dismissive of the Dwarves throughout the film, but Bilbo cuts through the politics and states he would not like to see his friends in battle, so he has come up with another solution.

As impressive as it was for Bilbo to make the decision to take the Arkenstone out of Erebor, it is even more impressive that he returns to the Mountain to be with the Company when Bard plays the Arkenstone for peace. Thorin’s fiery reaction is pitch perfect, and Bilbo barely escapes without being thrown over the walls.

Thorin’s decent into madness is expertly played, but my favorite scene is actually when a suspicious Thorin questions Bilbo about what he has in his hands, to discover it is an Acorn. Bilbo picked it up in Beorn’s garden and intends to plant it in his own garden at Bag End. Thorin is so surprised that Bilbo has been able to keep this little thing safe so long, that Bilbo would even make the effort when now he can have a share of the treasure. Bilbo simply reminds that it will grow, and that it will remind him of all his adventures, the good and the bad, all the people he encountered along the way. I believe it is at this moment that Thorin decides Bilbo is the only member of the Company he can truly trust because he just does not covet treasure at all. This whole sequence plays beautifully between these two.

To bookend the relationship between Bilbo and Thorin, at least before the Battle, is the gifting of the Mithril shirt. Bilbo thinks he looks ridiculous, but Thorin knows there will be a fight and that Bilbo needs something to help keep him safe. Of course, it is during this sequence that Thorin confides to Bilbo that he thinks a member of the Company has taken the Arkenstone, that he has been betrayed by one of his own kin.

Thorin, Dwalin, Fili and Kili all jump on the Battle Rams brought by Dain’s army and ride those up Ravenhill. It is now made very clear why Dwarves use Battle Rams as steeds, they are the perfect animal for folk who live in or on mountains because they can climb so well.

Thorin and Azog, the battle royale on the ice. This is a big, bone crushing battle that is exhausting just to watch, and it ends just the way it is supposed to end. We do get to see how Thorin get’s Orcrist back, which is a nice touch.

Bilbo does get to join the battle, much more so than he did in the book. He is on the field of battle when both the Orcs and Dain’s Iron Hill Dwarves show up, and then when the Laketown people are withdrawn to Dale, he makes the decision to go warn Thorin that a second Orc army is bearing down on his position on Ravenhill. This, after Thorin nearly threw him from the Walls, is why it is clear that Bilbo is no longer that same Hobbit that left the Shire.

Bilbo does get knocked out, but not while he is invisible, and he awakens in time to see Thorin’s epic fight with Azog, allowing him to be there at the end. This will be one of the times you need your tissue.

I do so love it when Bilbo invites the surviving Dwarves back to Bag End for tea, whenever they are in the neighborhood. It is so very Hobbity, and emotional at the same time.

The auction at Bag End, in the Shire. We finally see Lobelia Sackville-Baggins trying to get away with Bilbo’s spoons, and many other Hobbits do get away with quite a lot of his furniture. Bilbo has to prove he really is himself by showing some document or other with his name on it. Luckily, he still has his contract with his name on it to do so, but alas his home is nearly empty at this point. It is while he is looking at Thror’s Map that we transition to Old Bilbo just at the moment that Gandalf knocks on the day of Bilbo’s Birthday. So the film ends just where it should, back in the Shire where the next story begins.

The Last Goodbye by Billy Boyd is a rather perfect song to listen to through the end credits, accompanied by Alan Lee’s wonderful drawings, as usual.

And here is a list of the few things that confused me or did not seem to ring true.

Not a big criticism, but I found it odd that a few scenes shown in the Trailer released just a month before the Premiere did not make the final cut. There is no Ice Chariot careening down the icy river outside Erebor, in fact there is no Ice Chariot at all. There is also no sequence where you can clearly see the Iron Hill dwarves riding the Battle Rams, which is not a big deal, you see the army, just not the Rams. But since Thorin, Dwalin, Fili and Kili all go grab a Ram to ride up to Ravenhill, it’s an odd transition to not see them arriving.

The biggest thing I was looking for was when Bilbo and Gandalf finally discuss the Ring, but it happens in the most unexpected way, and very off hand, as if they almost forgot to include it at all. Just as Bilbo and Gandalf reach the edge of the Shire and Gandalf is about to go his own way, he stops and warns Bilbo that Magic Rings are not toys and should be taken seriously. Basically, it’s the same thing he says to Bilbo after his Birthday party stunt 60 years later. Problem is, the Ring has never been a topic of conversation, so Bilbo is about to deny it when Gandalf stops him and says something along the lines of “I know you found something in the Golbin caves and you’ve been acting strange every since then.” But how does Gandalf surmise it is a Ring of Power and not just some magic Acorn, or a brass button with a charm on it? It’s just a bit out of left field and took me completely out of the scene.

The only other bit that made me a bit sad was the fact that Beorn was barely even in the film at all. He arrives at the last minute with the Eagles, lead by Radagast, and he joins the fight by simply sliding off the back of an Eagle and falling into the battle, changing into a Bear on the way down. That is wicked cool, but we basically see just one swipe of his giant paw, sending Orcs flying, and then that is all done. Just not very satisfying at all.

Reposting because we’ve been adding lots of new Line Parties and want you all to be able to find them. Please submit a form of your own if you wish to be included.

The only thing better than watching a movie about Hobbits is watching it side by side with a friend. If you’re trying to find a place to watch “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” with a crowd of equally enthusiastic Ringers, scroll down to see if there’s a Line Party happening in your city. Events are being planned for both opening night on Tuesday, December 16, as well as for the special “Marathon Monday” screenings of all three Hobbit films on December 15.

Should you find yourself in Los Angeles next week and the week after, there will be plenty of Hobbity goodness to go around. And if you are not in LA, a few of the events will be covered so that you don’t miss any of the fun.

1) First up on Monday, December 8 with Peter Jackson receiving a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This will begin at 11:30am and run till about 12:15pm. The Walk of Fame website will be live streaming the ceremony, which means everyone can enjoy it even if you can’t be here with us. For those who do decide to attend, TORn will be hosting a lunch moot at the Cabo Wabo Cantina inside the Hollywood and Highland complex. The Star Ceremonies are open to the public, but they do not allow chairs or step ladders or anything that would impede walking. The ceremony lasts for about 45 minutes once it is started and they expect everyone to clear out once it is over in order to reopen the sidewalk. Peter’s star is slated to be outside the Dolby Theater on Hollywood Blvd, so you can park in the Hollywood and Highland Complex. If you wish to attend you can check out our Facebook Event Page. Andy Serkis will be speaking during the ceremony and numerous other cast are scheduled to appear.

2) The Hollywood premiere for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies will take place inside the Dolby Theater on Tuesday, December 9. The Red Carpet starts at 5pm, so do try and arrive before then. Last year’s Hollywood premiere was more of a press event and not very fan friendly, so just go into this with eyes open. Arrive early, bring lots of patience with you, be prepared to stand for a long while, bring water and comfy shoes, and be open to changing locations if security changes protocols 6 times on you. Regardless of what happens on the Red Carpet and with the screening, TORn will again be hosting a little moot in Cabo Wabo Cantina, which will be open until midnight. We do hope that we learn a few helpful hints for the Premiere at the Star Ceremony the day before, so stay tuned to our Facebook Event Page. Numerous cast are slated to attend the premiere.

One helpful suggestion for both events: If you wish to get autographs, make sure to bring with you everything you will need, including a good sharpie pen and the items you want signed. And while large posters or the Chronicles books are lovely items to get signed, you are best bringing something small and easy to carry.

3) Next up on the very busy Hollywood Hobbit tour is Billy Boyd doing a live performance and then CD signing for the new Soundtrack for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies on Wednesday, December 10. The event will be at the Barnes and Noble at The Grove, starting at 6pm. This will be a Wristbanded event, and they will begin to hand out those wristbands on Tuesday, December 9 at 9am once the soundtrack officially goes on sale. So, if you will be heading to the Premiere, swing past the Grove, pick up your soundtrack and get a wristband. For more details, please visit our Facebook Event Page for more details.

That’s it for next week, but then the film will be released the week after and our line parties kick into full gear.

4) Marathon Monday at the TCL Chinese theater on Monday, December 15 starting at Noon. This will be the first publicly available screening of the final film, and TORn will be there with Trivia, games and prizes for one and all. Please visit the Facebook Event Page.

5) On Tuesday, December 16 at 7pm, the TCL Chinese will hold their first screening of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies in IMAX HFR 3D. More fun and games will ensue. For more details, please visit the Facebook Event page.

They breed them tough in Finland! TORn chatroom moderator Miriel has been queueing with around a hundred fellow Hobbit fans at Helsinki’s Tennispalatsi cinema to be among the first to snaffle up tickets for The Battle of the Five Armies. (more…)

Tickets for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies went on sale Friday, and it came with a bit of confusion. There are multiple screenings in multiple theaters with all sorts of strange terms attached to them: HFR, Atmos, IMAX, etc. to name a few – to say nothing of whether or not it’s in 3D.

With ticket prices the way they are, you may be a little hesitant to push the “purchase” button on your ticket order in case you mistakenly selected a show in a format you don’t want to see.

Or you may have not even gotten that far, and simply gone cross-eyed at all of the acronyms and strange terms on Fandango, MovieTickets, or whichever portal you prefer, silently crying, “WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?!” Your local theaters may not have all of these flavors, and thus your choice is much easier. But many of you may have hit a wall of indecision. (more…)

Tickets for “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” are already on sale in some parts of the World, and are now slated to be available in the US on Friday, November 14. Before that happens, you may want to get ready for the big event by either hosting a Line Party event, or looking for one in your area to attend. So here are a few helpful tips to get you started.

1) There is no right way and wrong way to have a Line Party. You basically just choose a theater you wish to go to, invite some friends and go to the film and have some fun. If you feel up to the challenge of hosting, you can let us announce your event so that others in your area can join you. At that point, you can be as active or passive in planning as you wish.

Example of a low-key, passive sort of Line Party: Your local theater doesn’t have a history of long lines hours in advance of screenings, or has reserved seats. No problem, simply suggest to your friends, and any public announcement you are comfortable with that you meet up a couple hours ahead of the film’s start time at a local restaurant, pub or coffeehouse. At this meeting point, or in the line, you simply walk around others in line and ask a few simple questions, such as: Do you think Bilbo will reveal the Ring to Gandalf? Which battle are you most looking forward to, Dol Guldur and the White Council, or the Battle of Five Armies? Do you think Beorn will get to fight in the Battle of Five Armies?, etc. Depending on the timing of your chosen screening and the availability of late night dining in the area, you might also suggest a Post movie meal and discussion too.

Example of an active Line Party: Host a costume contest with prizes, and prepare some Trivia Questions, also with prizes. If you don’t have any real, tangible prizes, go buy a bag of candy or stickers at Staples and give those out in recognition of a job well done. But do ask your theater if they have a few extra posters you can use for prizes, you might be surprised at what that gets you. Trivia can come in many formats, from Fill in the Blank (name all the Dwarves) to simple Yes/No or True/False type questions. Also, you can make them from Book Canon or Movie Canon, your choice. Suggest a Canned Food collection or a Blood Drive, be creative and have fun with it. You could schedule a meal gathering before or after, or both for discussion purposes.

2) Should you get permission to host the Line Party from the theater manager? Yes and no, depending on what you wish to do and the idiosyncrasies of your chosen theater. Large theaters within shopping malls or entertainment complexes typically have a few rules about large events, which governs such mundane things as weapons, including costumed weapons. It is a good idea to ask to speak to a manager and explain what you plan to do. You can also tell them there is absolutely nothing they need to do other than actually run the film, which will ease their mind that you aren’t asking for promotion, man power or any effort at all on their part. Then again, some theaters might be eager to get involved in an event that turns the Passive nature of movie watching into an active event. Don’t be discouraged if a theater manager says no. You can choose a different theater, or you can still do a more low key event at that theater, and just not make a big deal out of it to the staff. But communication is never a bad thing, especially if you find out if the line will be indoors or outdoors and when the theater plans to start allowing people in to the theater. All of that is info you can pass along to your Line mates.

3) Now, how to go about actually forming a Line Party. Many moons ago during the LOTR films, we had some handy software that allowed us to create a Line Party description and keep track of members RSVPing to it so we could email or post details. Then the long wait between LOTR and the Hobbit set in and that software disappeared somewhere in the Dead Marshes, to be replaced by not entirely interactive mapping software. Since it allows a Line Party to start, but does not allow anyone to RSVP, we decided to MacGyver a solution by using Facebook. So, just take a look at our TORn Facebook Events page for ideas on how to announce a Line Party, and then send in an email to Garfeimao@TheOneRing.net with your parties statistics: Host name, Theater name, address, city and the start time of your event. Don’t fret if you don’t have all the info just yet, we can edit and change the screening info later on if need be, but let’s get some Line Parties posted and get talking to fellow fans in your area.

4) Why should you start a Line Party or Attend one? Why Not? You will have fun with your friends, and you stand a good chance to make some new friends. This may well be your last chance to really hang out with Tolkien fans and experience Middle-earth within a Fellowship of Fans, so step out of your comfort zone and start a line party or search for one to join.

It is now Boxing Day in Australia and they are finally able to see ‘The Desolation of Smaug’ in all its glory. So now that nearly the whole world has fought spiders, ridden down a river in barrels, had a pile of fish dropped on them and played chicken with a Dragon, it’s time to go back and do it again. Most of the world has a Holiday weekend to fill with fun family activities, such as Holiday meals and sweet treats, opening loads of new toys, games, electronic devices and questionable clothing choices from your Second Aunt once removed, how about adding a return trip to Middle-earth. Even for those who have to go back to work for a day or two, there is Saturday, December 28. New movie releases have started to push ‘The Hobbit’ into fewer theaters and fewer screening options, so strike now while you still have a range of options. Let’s call this ‘DOS Line Party: The Sequel’ and go out and have fun once more with your friends, old and new. Wear costumes, bring trivia games with you, go out for Mooty meals together and enjoy the Fellowship of other Ringers.

If you are in Southern California, we even have a Line Party event set up for the Irvine Spectrum. You can find the info at the Facebook Event page. And if you would like to start your own Line Party Sequel page, make a note of it here in the comments section and see if we can’t have a second Global viewing party.

Join your fellow Ringers from around the world as we gather to experience opening night of ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.’ For folks in the US, that’s happening at midnight tonight, and there are Line Parties happening at theatres across the country. Share your Line Party photos and fun by using #TORnHobbitLP on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Share pics of costumes, your responses to the film, and other activities happening in your Line.

After opening night, share photos from your Line Party with us at spymaster@theonering.net.

This site is maintained and updated by fans of The Lord of the Rings and the name and mark ONE RING is used under license from The Saul Zaentz Company, which hold the title thereto. We in no way claim rights in the artwork displayed herein. Copyrights and trademarks for the books, films, articles, merchandise and other promotional materials are held by their respective owners and our limited use of these materials is done by permission or is allowed under the fair use clause of the Copyright Act.